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After frustration comes perhaps rotation, albeit enforced. Arsenal attempt to beat Swansea for the first time in four attempts and earn us a decent day out in Brighton into the bargain. They will have to do it without the injured Mikel Arteta and Tomas Rosicky (bit of a mystery knock that one), and the suspended Laurent Koscielny.

A number of those who laboured against the champions man advantage on Sunday may also come into the reckoning for a rest on the bench for starters. We can speculate about who that may be but this is an occasion where frankly Arsene will be adjudged to have got it wrong should we go out, and will receive scant recognition if we go through ‘because we should be beating Swansea at home‘.

It is also entirely likely that Michael Laudrup will shuffle his pack. His team are ninety hardworking minutes away from a Wembley final in the other domestic cup competition and may want his best side fresh for next Wednesday’s second-leg against Chelsea. Let’s not forget Michu didn’t start the first game ten days ago. It is a measure of where we are that they will change a few faces and still expect to have a real chance at the Grove.

Our second-half performance in Wales is the reason I am being positive with the ‘holic pound. We turned a difficult situation around, albeit undoing that good work at the death with some diabolical defending. Much that was good stemmed from Kieran Gibbs on the left flank as a supplementary attacker, and if either Theo or the Ox get going on the opposite side we may just stretch them sufficiently to create opportunities. BtM noticed I have a bit of a thing about 2-1 at the moment, and I am on that scoreline again. It is 15/2 with Gunners Gaming, and by the law of averages it must come in soon?

It will be interesting to see what sort of a crowd turns up. We have a lot of games in January, and some may consider cat B pricing a bit too steep given the proximity of two Cat A Premiership fixtures at home this month and the sixty quid to attend the bus stop in Fulham on Sunday. Pips are being squeezed, and I don’t mean Gladys Knight’s backing group.

I have spent time this evening listening to Arsene’s much quoted interview with Al Jazeera. Before you start reading too much into the two players we want to add you should consider this interview took place in December, just after Bradford. The party line has since changed.

Finally a word on the decision to overturn Vincent Kompany’s red card on Sunday. That word is farce. I understand that City fans will defend their man to the hilt, and I get that my impartiality in this matter could be seen as non-existent. Both sides choose the angle of the ‘challenge’ that shows their case in the best light. What is astonishing to so many is that the decision has been taken to overturn the red card when clearly there is no conclusive evidence that the referee got it wrong. Other than the fact it was Mike Dean, of course. That is the only good thing to come out of the mess. Even they now indirectly acknowledge his incompetence.

One would hope Laudrup does some heavy squad rotation. If we get deep enough into their reserve team, our boys should be able to nip a result. Hopefully none will die of exhaustion before the month’s end, we’re going to need every able body we’ve got for this run. By 31 January, I expect the party line to have shifted from “want one or two players” to “We have far too many top-top quality players as it is–FIRE SALE!”

As Arse2mouse wrote earlier about AFC approaching Aliadiere, “Ah, the mirthless laughter of the damned.”

I’ll be waiting to see which Arsenal turn up and that has nothing to do with who is on the teamsheet. Will we go for it, will we be cagey or will the game just pass us by? Problem is, this season we just never know. Swansea are no mugs and have already proved that they are not scared of any of the so called big boys, we need to show them respect….. but not too much.

Sigh, seems we’ve got the pot stirred anew from today’s presser. I really don’t know what to say anymore to people who want to lose it over what Arsene says. Do they really expect him to say, “This squad is shit, we need new players STAT” on the eve on an important match?

Anyway, don’t know why, but I feel that a 4-1 is in order tomorrow. Maybe even something a little nuttier. Just seems like we’re due another stormer.

Good summing up h….we are now in a run where every game is a season defining one and a negative result will bring out the knee jerk
negative reactions. Supporting the team 100 % is what’s important … that’s our task, that’s all we can do. In turn we look to the manager to get the players to equally give 100% and ensure the right approach and tactics are made for a successful result. Lets impose ourselves on the opposition….we are The Arsenal !!

Will those Welsh miners be cagey – they’re no mugs those boys from the Brecon Beacers. On the face of it, we should win, but whichever eleven we field will have to find a rich seam of form to shaft this opposition.

Whether we win or not does not hide the fact that Arsenal have a cheek to charge “A” prices for a
“C” team!
This overpaid mob of some 50 players is a waste of money.
Why pay Walcott more than he is worth, should have sold him before it was too late. Another wonderful bit of economics from a Manager who is too arrogant to learn from his last 7 years of mistakes.

I had the pleasure of sharing a pint with our favourite Sweet and a very agreeable mate of his earlier and the suggestion was that TR’s mystery injury was a complicated twist of the ego muscle with a certain senior Frenchman.

I have no clue regarding the veracity but it certainly helped to digest the Guinness

I’m surprised the red card was overturned, but then I was surprised it was awarded in the first place since Kompany clearly got the ball long before Jack fell over him. It was the kind of tackle Jack himself is almost famous for.

By the way, Holic … “by the law of averages it must come in soon?” Er, no. Sorry to disappoint you but that’s not how the law of averages works. I hope you win of course, since that means we all do, but I would suggest a comfortable 4-0 is more likely.

Oskar, I’d never give up on you or any other proper Gooner. If I left any challenge un-riposted, it is simply a function of my inattentiveness.

I’m sad that you don’t agree with me more, but I have a list of family members and exes who would say that my being wrong is simply my natural state of being. But I know one thing I definitely always get right …

cdoyle, in the previous set of drinks I just read that you were worried about live coverage of the FA cup match. If you are in US (or even Canada) — which is what I happen to remember from your original post — you can see that match live on the Internet in very high quality streaming in Fox Soccer TV online channel, which is a paid service costing around $20 a month.

Hey Zico! A glimpse indeed. I hope the New Year is treating you right!
I’ve been so busy and tired lately that it’s hard to post, but I’ve been keeping up with the latest happenings, for better or for worse.
Running off to a meeting again so see you lovely holics later!

Nobody should read anything into what Wenger says in a transfer window. He twists with the wind and I increasingly get the feeling the whole business of managing Arsenal especially given he is a control freak,is too much for him. It’s a huge night but Swansea are tough and we will need an excellent performance to get through. I’m not sure this squad do excellent performances so Zi travel with hope but trepidation!

TS, my stats this seasons are WWDL (Southampton 6-1, Montpellier 2-0, Villa 0-0 and ManC 0-2) so still more wins than losses. And like I said yesterday I am, for some reason, quite optimistic for tonight.

HaHa – duelling bagpipes. (Surely one’s too many already.)
And from a nation with plenty of fine folk that like a decent drop, and are therefore on more than (gentle) nodding terms with uncle and auntie hangover – too. Mysterious stuff.

If we win or win big, there is nothing to shout about. Swansea already had one eye on the league cup with Chelsea. Which Gunners show up, we dont know yet. This uncertainty has become too predictable, isn’t it?

Walking into the Tollie it hit me that I got here about an hour earlier than planned. When I finished work I had a look at the clock on the computer screen, not remembering that it was not adjusted for UK time… So here I am slowly nursing a pint in an almost empty pub

Pep to Munich? Meh. Better there than Chavski, I still have severe reservations about him as a manager bit at least he serms to have a modicum of decency and class. And then again that may very well be why he didn’t want to go there.

I agree with zico @75. I would not have wanted to appoint him in the next 2 years unproven outside the comfortable environment of the Camp Nou to the foetid environment surrounding our club at the moment. He is better there than at Chav$ki, Manure or $hitteh. He can prove himself in a Teutonic environment there (or not) and if the pieces fall into place join the Arsenal as Arsene’s successor once the ‘Project Barca Light’ is back on track and bearing fruit.

I think you’ll find that all German clubs are self sustaining. The Bundesliga makes members adhere to some pretty strict rules of operation.

Bayern is still a pretty safe bet for Pep, a massive club with a good budget, with almost the same principles as Barca concerning youth policy. Beware of Ruminigge and co though who has a hell of a big say in how the club is run, if you fall foul of them then you’re done, just ask Louis van Gaal.

So is it going to look more like a 4-4-2? Theo to play off of Beefcakes knockdowns or is Santi going to be wide left?
Probably Santi left but a 4-4-2 with Le Coq and Diaby more central and deep and jack and Santi wider and advanced may work better. Just my musings.
Cheers.

BTW – soo much slagging off of AW in the “other” media sources lately. Still, AW is a man amoung lesser men. His – supposed – inability to delegate suggests a man focused on details, with clear goals and a philosophy about the way the club should be run. Sticking to his guns, seeing the hard days thru by going the hard way if need be. Even when the critics howl for his blood, he’s got the nerve to stay the course. Courage — plain and simple. As aptly put in one spot:

“His appetite for detail is beyond limit.

Moreover, he believes that those above him — the ones who run the club — must have a clear, defined and realizable philosophy that, once applied, will be maintained even through stormy weather because, irrespective of a momentary rough patch, a road well chosen is worth the long journey.”

Hold it. The quote above was from espn, of all places, about Pep Guardiola. Just ponder that one.

Funny, how journos (and do NOT mean present company) take the qualities of one man and use it as a dagger in his back. Then take those same qualities and use them to serve another man – flavor of the month I call Pep – Kobe beef.

Come on boys give us some cheer on a proper cold night !
Walcotts played a very fine hand, he knows the backlash would be extreme if another player just walked – so has pretty much got the club in a corner, He’s got far more money than he’s worth or would get elsewhere with guaranteed playing time but at least we will get a transfer fee if we deem him surplus to requirements at some stage, Which if we do spend serious cash maybe sooner than he thinks :)!!

Yes, Bundesliga clubs all?/mostly? try to operate in a self-sustaining model so it would be ideal training for Pep should there be a red and white coloured future for him in London.

I think the point I was trying to make (poorly) was that Pep might be well out of sorts trying to operate in a s-s model when most around were not adhering to that policy i.e. The Premiere League of today.

I have nothing against Pep.
He’s acheivements are just off the charts. My only thing is – he had arguably the best players in the world at every position and who’d largely known each other their entire adult lives. No titles for them would’ve been incredibly unlikely. Its the “thing” right now to worship his barca work. What he does at BM will be really interesting to watch. My first real coach was a German from Munich (god rest his soul) – one of the coolest cats I’ve ever known, and that was what, 1977 or so.

And I’ll never get adjusted to the flopping and cheating. And we was robbed by that idiotic RVP red card at the camp nou. Only if Bendtner could freaking finish … er. Sorry, rant over.

hello, all. nice start to this one, good stream on yycast. like the swarming defense and the pressure, and if we can get on track i see a nice early goal. ollieg in the middle with theo and santi feeding, a wish come true.

man, i can’t wait to watch that again tonight, even though we only scored one we battered them. not a poor player on the pitch, even theo, though his limitations were exposed today as much as his skills were shown against newcastle. jack should be on highest wages, no question. what heart.

Let Poldi take turns with OG, stick creative players on the flanks and let Jack run at defences. He had Swansea shitting bricks tonight. Two proper holding midfielders as well, playing in tandem – I thought Coquelin looked good and should be used more from here.

n7, agreed, and rotate ox/theo and tr7/santi. santi looked great on the left, and really brought uncertainty to their defense. diaby is excellent in the box-to-box role with this lineup, and coq a great shield. perfect way to rest arteta, and give santi a rest, too (bringing in tomas).

I can imagine Rosicky playing in Coqs role aswell, more attacking setup but could work too. I really liked the balance of the team aswell, much more physical presence…I love Mikel to bits but he is more of an orchestrator than DM. Fingers crossed Diaby stays fit for long spell of games now, he really brings what has been sorely missed last months.

ATG – you have to recognise that Feo does not put the goals away as a CF should , clinically and cleanly and more than 60% of the opportunities offered

We had at least 24 shots at goal , without Vorm, who is a class act., being threatened more than 3 times – so we have a general problem of finishing!

Jack worked hard, but for me, he has to vary his play, by trying a few balls over the top for OG and TW to feed off. This will spread defences, which in turn will allow more effective runs for Jack himself, Santi and Abu (who had a good 1st half)

Anyway, w have finally beaten the Swans – now to shoot down the seagulls of Brighton

I said after the game in Swansea that we’d thump this team of over-achieves at the HOF and so it transpired. Rarely have I seen such a one-sided contest as that I witnessed in the second half of this game. I still can’t quite understand why this one didn’t finish 5-0 for the home team though. Ah, yes, Theo.

I also said Brighton in Februaryis a breeze. It will be Holics. It will be.

Saw absolutly nothing of the first half. I managed to get the computer into velig modus (safe mode I presume) which enabled me to watch from about the 50th minute, albeit without sound (more a luxury then a problem).

That was the kind of performance that we’ve been crying out for all season, you could see the effort been put in all over the field and finally with a proper DM the team didn’t look lopsided.

Coquelin showed the importance of a defensive minded deep lying midfielder especially in a team where the full backs thrive on attacking. And Santi was excellent in the floating left winger position, cutting in when needed and open up space of Gibbo and staying out to deliver balls in the box. An excellently mobile left sided set-up.

Diaby played very intelligently, not trying too hard with those driving runs but always making himself available for organization and distribution.

One experienced DM to rotate with Coquelin , and then Arteta – Diaby -Ramsey to rotate in the box-to-box role and Jack-Santi-TR7 in the attacking mid. It is no coincidence that both of Jack’s goal this season are Giroud’s assists. Jack is MotM by a distance, we need to set up in a way to benefit from Giroud’s knock-downs, nifty one-twos and hold-up play. Excellent performance by OG.

Chelsea drew at home. So if we beat them and win our match in hand we would be only two points off them. Third is still very much achievable.

Fair appraisal of Theo. We all want him to succeed at Arsenal and I personally like what his game adds to the team ( most of the time). But what I have gotten tired of is the holding all the cards and the team over a barrel. Be done with it. Quit the smug little grins when you do well. Sign a contract and work on your game.
I also agree that he is still young, but if that’s the case then don’t expect us to pay you 100k a week for you to not finish one of those chances today. He is not the only one to miss today, but he had probably our 2 best scoring chances of the game.

Good performance especially the 2nd half, yet again. Well done lads! 4-0 wouldn’t have been a flattering scoreline with clinical finishing. 20+ scoring chances! Our Jack MoTM yet again! Immense in his “natural” advanced playmaker role in the middle of the park. Cracking finish for the goal! Diaby gradually getting back to his imposing best! Onto the seaside and upwards!
Chavs in crisis at the bus stop after dropping more points! Sweet as a feckin nut! Further misery to be heaped on after Pep shunned a small King’s Rd ransom for top quality German sausages! A subsequent future at AFC awaits perhaps?! I wonders….Victoria Concordia Crescit.

I thought it was one of these fucking omen nights and arsebeatbarca said that Michu was coming on I thought don’t fuckign jinx it please!

It was worth all the waiting when Jack scored his outbursts were pure class no one could stop him he is the King of Arsenal and I hope there is plenty more to come from this lad he’s is just Mr Arsenal!

umm, entry 415 has gotten me a bit distracted Oh, yeah, I remember now. Pedro’s reaction to our win: ‘Cold, but good’. C’mon, can’t he just be happy for US! It’s his team, too. Never smart to back yourself into a corner…but he’ll learn.

Didn’t make the Ems tonight, Norfolk is an ice field and it was safer to stay at home.

It was great watching the team pour forward on mass, lead by a superb LJW. A pity about all the missed chances. There were a hat full of goals to be had but a combination of good keeping and poor finishing by the strikers saw extra time looming until Jack’s terrific late strike.

We can up the tempo when we want and tonight’s line-up seemed to work much better. Diaby looked sharper, especially in the first half and Le Coq needs the game time deputising for Arteta. I was wondering whether we would ever see Cathorla on the wing but I thought the move worked well and left the middle for Jack to motor through. Will Arsene try it again? Let’s hope so.

Guess what, I won tonight’s competition on the Arsenal Match Day Show! I await the match programme signed by Nigel Winterburn.